Beginners and Beyond

Do Men Do Yoga? (Read 284 times)

Clams are something you eat, donkey kicks are something you avoid, and a fire hydrant is something a dog pees on.

Hip abduction is something ladies do to keep their bodies right, and piriformis stretches....

Wait, what piriformis? Are you kidding me? I'm sorry but where I come from it's called an ass. Does my PT really think I am going to stretch my ass? LMAO - uh, no!

Oy vey. These are just a few of the myriad of exercises and stretches that have been prescribed to me and I gotta be honest with you B & B, I am having a tough time with this crap.

Indeed.

I mean, I would prefer to do 10 sets of 25 reps of barbell squats pyramiding my way up to 305 lbs, but that is not going to help my (oh God, I cannot believe I am going to say this) hip girdle, waaaaah!

I have been given a yoga girly mans CD by someone who has qualified for, and run Boston. And who is someone I have great respect for as a runner, but still I hesitate.

So in the midst of this Archie Bunker/George Jefferson moment I am having, I ask thee of B & B;

Should I get down on the floor (where there is no woman, sigh) and put my leg up in the air?

I don't think you should get on the floor where no ladies are around, I think you should go to a yoga studio and be around all the beautiful yoga ladies. At a studio the instructor can make sure the moves are done correctly so you don't get hurt.
It took me 2 years to be brave enough to go try yoga ( I was once ashamed of it also) but I go to an awesome studio! Yoga does a lot of flexibility stuff and lots of core work too.

xor

posted: 12/1/2012 at 11:34 AM

If you have never done yoga, plopping down in your living room with a DVD is a not-guaranteed-but-not-zero way to hurt yourself. Go to a couple classes and get some help with technique. When it comes to the basics, there are a limited number of basic poses and transitions. With a few tips, you can then do a lot more on your own with confidence.

Also... in person, a yoga instructor (who I call a yogatini, but that's wrong) can give you OPTIONS for various poses. Some stuff can be done, say, "easy" or "medium" or "hard" depending on what your body is ready for. Options are goodness, and some DVDs won't cover that.

As for girly yoga, yeah. There are also super hippie yoga DVDs. Those drive me nuts. Then there are some others. Find workouts by a cat named Rodney Yee. He will absolutely kick your ass.

There is an older gentleman in our yoga class. He used to run marathons and HMs. He is a retired teacher who was the football coach on the side. He is the only guy who has the nutz to show up to our little neighborhood sponsored class. He is in his late 60's.

He lifts his leg, does butt lifts, does butterfly spreads and downward dogs. Considering his age, he is pretty limber.

After going to classes with a certified instructor for the last 5 months, I say go to a class. It's amazing how much better it is in that setting and how off your moves can be when you don't have a instructor advising you. My iPad podcasts just didn't cut it.

Speaking of, some people relax enough (or maybe it is 'exert in strange positions while being otherwise relaxed') in yoga such that gas is passed. Especially in hot yoga and bikram. And the combination of the cloud of stench and the heat is.... interesting.

I do not wish to combine fart yoga with naked.

MJ5

Chief Unicorn Officer

posted: 12/1/2012 at 1:01 PM

I used to take yoga a lot and there were always men in my classes. I agree, go to an actual class first instead of trying a DVD. There a lot of little nuances to the poses an instructor can explain better, and yes, offer alternative positions if something hurts you or is too hard. Don't be freaked out or threatened at all. As an XC coach, we have our team go through a yoga routine after practice twice a week (I took certification classes in the past). Do it, it's really great for you.

You have to shake that, LRB: yoga is great!!! Girl, guy - no matter. It's good for you. I have been doing it since my marathon and I swear by the core, yoga and Myrtl stuff now. I try to do yoga focused on hip openers at least a few times a week. I feel better and stronger since I started doing all of these "extras" (I did NO cross-training last training cycle and did have some hip pain towards the end, if you remember...) and haven't had any soreness or pain even though I have been running quite a few miles as of late. You seriously need to give it a fair shake. It's one component of a regimen that going to help you get healthy once and for all.